Chargers/Rams

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Rest assured for number of Bolts starters
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By Kevin Acee
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

August 16, 2008


Postcard from camp


ST. LOUIS ? The Chargers have erred on the side of caution all training camp, so it is not all that shocking that coach Norv Turner will hold out Philip Rivers from tonight's exhibition game against the Rams.
Turner said yesterday he had not entirely made up his mind, but he seemed sure enough that he would keep his starting quarterback from the Edward Jones Dome turf and the Rams' pursuing defenders.

The theme of the Chargers' training camp has been health.

Rivers is one of nine starters who had offseason surgery. With hopes that their 2008 season won't end until February '09, and after the Chargers were done in by injuries in last season's AFC Championship Game, Turner and the medical staff have been especially cautious this month. With an eye on the end of the season, they have given players ample rest and eased injured players back into practice.

many as half of the Chargers' starting 22 will not play tonight.
Cornerback Antonio Cromartie didn't make the trip. He stayed in San Diego to have a cyst removed from his wrist. The procedure is not expected to keep him out more than a few days.

Linebacker Shawne Merriman (knee, virus), fullback Andrew Pinnock (knee) and nose tackle Jamal Williams (knees) also will not play. Left tackle Marcus McNeill (neck) and defensive end Luis Castillo (back) did not practice this week and will watch the game as well. Center Nick Hardwick (foot) and tight end Antonio Gates (toe) remain on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. And, of course, LaDainian Tomlinson does not play in exhibitions.

Turner said it would be decided today whether receiver Vincent Jackson will play. Jackson practiced this week after missing nine practices with a hamstring strain.

Rivers tore his ACL during the postseason and had surgery to reconstruct the ligament in late January. He is moving well and has missed just one practice since minicamp. But he is wearing a brace on his right knee, and the Chargers would much prefer he is rested and healthy for the Sept. 7 opener. Turner said the turf in St. Louis is relatively safe, but it is still turf.

Turner said all along he would rest his starters a lot tonight.

Rivers sitting means more time for backup quarterback Billy Volek, who will start, and Charlie Whitehurst. It could also mean unexpected playing time for fourth QB Casey Bramlet.

All three reserve quarterbacks took an uncommonly high number of snaps in practice this week.

Turner said after the Chargers' preseason-opening victory over Dallas that all of his starters would see limited action in St. Louis.

?It'll be a quarter or less,? he said yesterday. ?The biggest thing is, the way we've orchestrated it, we're getting a lot of young guys getting chances to play. And I get the feeling they'll be matched up against St. Louis' starters in a lot of situations, so it's a really good evaluation of these younger players, going against some real good football players. It gives you a different picture.

?The other thing is, this is a totally different offensive scheme and defensive scheme than we've seen, so we get to see how well they make those kind of adjustments in a short period of time. We didn't spend a lot of time working on St. Louis, so we'll see who can handle those types of things.?

Rams running back Stephen Jackson (holdout) and receiver Torry Holt (back) will not play. But most of the rest of St. Louis' starters are expected to play the entire first half.

This matchup should provide excellent tests for Chargers rookies such as fullback Mike Tolbert, running back Jacob Hester and cornerback Antoine Cason and for other players being evaluated for spots on the roster and practice squad.

?Anytime you play games, there should be dramatic improvement from Week One to Week Two,? Turner said. ?So I'm looking for our young players, if they had a problem last time around, to improve on that.?

 

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By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
08/16/2008

Preseason or not, the Rams laid an egg last Saturday in Tennessee.

Preseason or not, the Rams don't want to lay another tonight when the San Diego Chargers come calling at the Edward Jones Dome.

"We've got a great challenge ahead of us," coach Scott Linehan said Friday afternoon after a team walk-through. "We've got a great opponent coming in. ... You know what kind of year they had last year. So I'm really interested to see how we perform."

It shouldn't be tough to improve on the Tennessee game, because the Rams didn't exactly set the bar high last week in Nashville. The first-team offense went without a touchdown. The defense yielded a whopping 340 yards rushing.

And despite stressing the importance of better second-half performances, Linehan watched his team get outscored 14-0 in the second half, with Tennessee threatening another score before Titans coach Jeff Fisher called three kneel-downs in the closing moments.

As much as anything, the continuation of those second-half woes rankled Linehan.

"If it kills me, we're going to figure out a way to be much, much better than that in that area," Linehan said. "We'll continue to search for whatever it's going to take to get there."

Obviously, the Rams need to "get there" on a couple of other fronts as well.

"Even if it is preseason, nobody should get 300 yards (rushing) on you, whether it's the first team, second team, or third team," defensive back Ron Bartell said. "You want to have that confidence that you can stop the run. I think this weekend, we'll do a better job of that, especially with our younger guys."

At least the Rams won't have to contend with LaDainian Tomlinson. The Chargers' all-world running back won't play tonight. In fact, for the third consecutive August, he won't play at all in the preseason.

In addition, Chargers Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates remains on the physically unable to perform list with a toe injury. And the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that quarterback Philip Rivers also will sit out tonight's game, although he is not injured.

None of which really matters to the Rams. Even if the Chargers trot out their junior varsity, the Rams need to block better, tackle better, execute better.

"The approach we're taking now is we don't care who plays," defensive end Leonard Little said. "We've got to play better as a defense, so we can help this team out.

"We've got to come together as a unit and play pretty good."

Rams starters on both sides of the ball are expected to play the entire first half.

In comparison, about half the San Diego starters will be held out of the game, for one reason or another. But when you're coming off a 3-13 season like the Rams, you have to approach the preseason differently from an established team such as the Chargers, who reached the AFC championship game last season.

"I just want to win," Little said. "No matter what it takes, or what happens, I just want to win the game, and hopefully that'll carry over to the (regular) season and we'll win a lot of games."

All that being said, Linehan grew testy ? at least by his standards ? when quizzed about his team's lack of success in the preseason opener.

"Right now, it's probably not fair to judge the football team, or the NFL, based on one preseason game," Linehan said. "Everybody's kind of trying to find out what's going on with their teams, and evaluating their rosters.

"The Indianapolis Colts have lost like 90 percent of their preseason games, and played pretty good in the regular season. We'd like to go out and perform with the units that are going to play and perform at a high level. So that's our goal, and we want to win the game."

When asked if he wanted to see a crisper performance on offense, there was more testiness from Linehan.

"Yeah, I'd like to score on every drive," he said, with a touch of sarcasm. "A touchdown. And go three-and-out on every defensive drive. And make every kick. That is our goal going into the game."

Once again, the St. Louis offense will be hindered by the absence of holdout running back Steven Jackson. Starting center Brett Romberg is expected to miss the contest because of a broken hand. And wide receiver Torry Holt may be rested because of tightness in his back.

The preseason debut of rookie wide receiver Donnie Avery also might wait another week. Avery returned to practice this week after being sidelined with a stress fracture in his pelvic bone. But Linehan said it will be a game day decision as to whether Avery plays.